Switching to disposable deli cup water dishes

I was thinking of switching over to disposable water dishes. A part of me doesn't want to because of the extra cost and waste generated, but it seems like the work and possibilities for cross-contamination with cleaning water bowls is becoming pretty significant.

I was thinking of going with the 8/12/16 ounce dishes made by Twin-Pack and purchasing from www.superiorenterprise.com

They list these dishes to be used for shipping, but I assume they are food-grade so can be used for water dishes as well? Anyone else have an suggestions or other things I should consider?

I just stumbled upon http://www.foodservicedirect.com/ind...s_and_Lids.htm
which has some pretty reasonably priced containers made by Reynolds.

Any thoughts??

Thanks!

JonV

Think Green! Don't we have enough waste already? Mark bottom of dish's with a marker so you don't place them in the wrong tank. Just a thought.

:) I use 'color coded' ceramic pet dishes. Each snake has a slightly different color or pattern so I know exactly which dish belongs to which snake.

Of course, this only works well when you don't have dozens of snakes...;)

it's not worth the cost/waste to go disposable. You can color code or mark dishes to keep them with the right snake, and a bleach water bath or dishwasher on super-hot works great as a sterilizer.

I've used disposable for over a year now.. I love it and I'll never go back. The time savings and cleanliness is worth it. I get mine from foodservicedirect.com. Give them a try.. if you have multiple snakes, I'm sure you'll love it.

Hmm...I'm kinda torn between the green argument and the cleanliness of disposable. We're probably talking 60 BP's or so in 3 years....I guess I'll have to think about how much time I want to spend scrubbing dishes.

Does anyone know any online places to get those ceramic crocks? Or any stores that carry them? My local Wal-Mart (yes, I'm evil for shopping there, I know) only has fancy schmancy crocks anymore. I just want those basic ones like the Barkers use.

JonV

Check and see if you have a restaurant supply store anywhere near you. Gordon Food Services aka GFS is the one I use here (you don't have to be a restaurant to shop there) and they stock a lot of that stuff way below department store prices.

Most of the bigger breeders use disposable. My concern is more about the health of my animals than green.

Adam uses PVC couplers and just plops a new deli cup with water into them.

Also, if you want to stick to ceramic bowls:

http://www.reptiletubs.com/

Without a controlled study that provides evidence that snakes who drink from disposable cups are spared a significant risk in comparison with those who drink from ceramic bowls, i will continue to think of people who use disposable as incredibly selfish, and will favor the less wasteful breeders.

If you're referring to the big breeders that i know, you're also talking about people who feed their snakes live prey. While i have no problem with that, there is a risk associated with it, which they are happy to take. I don't think it's a matter of risk mitigation with the waterbowls so much as convenience. A dishwasher makes the risk a non-issue anyway, and it's cheap and easy to use, so there really is no excuse for all the waste.

Hopefully they at least recycle. :taz: :salute: :( :please: